c.1225, from weak grade of O.E. teohan "to pull, drag," from P.Gmc. *teukh- "pull," from PIE *deuk- "to pull, to lead" (see duke). Related to tow (1). The noun is recorded from 1500; meaning "small steamer used to tow other vessels" is recorded from 1817. Phrase tug of war (1677) was originally figurative, "the decisive contest, the real struggle."
a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships [syn: tugboat]
verb
1.
pull hard; "The prisoner tugged at the chains"; "This movie tugs at the heart strings"
2.
strive and make an effort to reach a goal; "She tugged for years to make a decent living"; "We have to push a little to make the deadline!"; "She is driving away at her doctoral thesis"
3.
tow (a vessel) with a tug; "The tugboat tugged the freighter into the harbor"
4.
carry with difficulty; "You'll have to lug this suitcase" [syn: lug]
5.
move by pulling hard; "The horse finally tugged the cart out of the mud"
6.
pull or strain hard at; "Each oar was tugged by several men"
7.
struggle in opposition; "She tugged and wrestled with her conflicts"
Team\, n. [OE. tem, team, AS. te['a]m, offspring, progeny, race of descendants, family; akin to D. toom a bridle, LG. toom progeny, team, bridle, G. zaum a bridle, zeugen to beget, Icel. taumr to rein, bridle, Dan. t["o]mme, Sw. t["o]m, and also to E. tow to drag, tug to draw. [root]64. See Tug, and cf. Teem to bear.]1. A group of young animals, especially of young ducks; a brood; a litter. A team of ducklings about her. --Holland. 2. Hence, a number of animals moving together. A long team of snowy swans on high. --Dryden. 3. Two or more horses, oxen, or other beasts harnessed to the same vehicle for drawing, as to a coach, wagon, sled, or the like. "A team of dolphins." --Spenser. To take his team and till the earth. --Piers Plowman. It happened almost every day that coaches stuck fast, until a team of cattle could be procured from some neighboring farm to tug them out of the slough. --Macaulay. 4. A number of persons associated together in any work; a gang; especially, a number of persons selected to contend on one side in a match, or a series of matches, in a cricket, football, rowing, etc. 5. (Zo["o]l.) A flock of wild ducks. 6. (O. Eng. Law) A royalty or privilege granted by royal charter to a lord of a manor, of having, keeping, and judging in his court, his bondmen, neifes, and villains, and their offspring, or suit, that is, goods and chattels, and appurtenances thereto. --Burrill.
Tie\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tied(Obs. Tight); p. pr. & vb. n. Tying.] [OE. ti?en, teyen, AS. t[=i]gan, ti['e]gan, fr. te['a]g, te['a]h, a rope; akin to Icel. taug, and AS. te['o]n to draw, to pull. See Tug, v. t., and cf. Tow to drag.]1. To fasten with a band or cord and knot; to bind. "Tie the kine to the cart." --1 Sam. vi. 7. My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. --Prov. vi. 20,21. 2. To form, as a knot, by interlacing or complicating a cord; also, to interlace, or form a knot in; as, to tie a cord to a tree; to knit; to knot. "We do not tie this knot with an intention to puzzle the argument." --Bp. Burnet. 3. To unite firmly; to fasten; to hold. In bond of virtuous love together tied. --Fairfax. 4. To hold or constrain by authority or moral influence, as by knotted cords; to oblige; to constrain; to restrain; to confine. Not tied to rules of policy, you find Revenge less sweet than a forgiving mind. --Dryden. 5. (Mus.) To unite, as notes, by a cross line, or by a curved line, or slur, drawn over or under them. 6. To make an equal score with, in a contest; to be even with. To ride and tie. See under Ride. To tie down. (a) To fasten so as to prevent from rising. (b) To restrain; to confine; to hinder from action. To tie up, to confine; to restrain; to hinder from motion or action.
Tog"gle\, n. [Cf. Tug.] [Written also toggel.]1. (Naut.) A wooden pin tapering toward both ends with a groove around its middle, fixed transversely in the eye of a rope to be secured to any other loop or bight or ring; a kind of button or frog capable of being readily engaged and disengaged for temporary purposes. 2. (Mach.) Two rods or plates connected by a toggle joint. Toggle iron, a harpoon with a pivoted crosspiece in a mortise near the point to prevent it from being drawn out when a whale, shark, or other animal, is harpooned. Toggle joint, an elbow or knee joint, consisting of two bars so connected that they may be brought quite or nearly into a straight line, and made to produce great endwise pressure, when any force is applied to bring them into this position.
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Audio Help [tuhg] Pronunciation Key, verb, tugged, tug·ging, noun 
